tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19649274.post377293199932446466..comments2024-03-29T12:03:50.891+05:30Comments on The Leap Blog: Why does Bombay have abysmal governance?Ajay Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03835842741008200034noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19649274.post-30563198950392652802013-09-03T03:23:10.430+05:302013-09-03T03:23:10.430+05:30I feel that this is a flawed and counter-productiv...I feel that this is a flawed and counter-productive proposition, have summarized my arguments against in this blog post: http://vikramvgarg.wordpress.com/2013/09/02/why-mumbai-should-not-be-its-own-state/<br /><br />There are two main points:<br /><br />1) From a cultural identity standpoint, a state capital in India has the same importance as the capital of a European country.<br /><br />2) Every major state with no big metro area in it has a very low HDI. States deprived of their economic engines suffer when it comes to overall development.Vikramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15184698535624088994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19649274.post-55154577804053681352010-11-08T22:25:12.789+05:302010-11-08T22:25:12.789+05:30the argument for city as state is familiar one.But...the argument for city as state is familiar one.But what about the city governance by the elected municipal body itself? MCD,e.g. has not covered itself with glory either even though its a city state; with thousands of ghost workers and demand for taxes for non existent services.<br />Not sure about BMC, what is demanded of 'non-City voters elected government', is the same demanded from Municipal coporation as well? Is it put under the same scrutiny?bagduhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05355737655431099045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19649274.post-6151439967886424362010-11-07T21:07:21.786+05:302010-11-07T21:07:21.786+05:30This is by Salil Tripathi.
Ajay, this is fascinat...This is by Salil Tripathi.<br /><br />Ajay, this is fascinating at several levels. Some countries that are endowed with resources have either escaped the curse (think Norway, Canada, Australia) and some others, while cursed with it, have created public goods (think Indonesia, Malaysia). I'm not trying to look for a cultural/anthropological reason behind this. Even in Africa, while Nigeria <br />is the poster child of resource curse, Botswana is doing fine, in sharing wealth relatively fairly. But oil's pernicious impact on poorly-governed societies is a fair point to consider. Terry Lynn Karl has done some good work on this. <br /> <br />Now, turning to Maharashtra - when the Shiv Sena first came to statewide power, Darryl D'Monte - who opposes the chauvinism and parochialism of the <br />Sena - astutely noted that it was the first time in India that a party primarily representing urban interests and concerns had come to power for an <br />entire state. Sundar Mumbai Marathi Mumbai - now we may balk at the second part of that slogan, but who could complain with the first part of that <br />slogan? Anyway, once in power, while the Sena politicians did not have connections in the sugar belt, and indeed, their pro-Marathi rhetoric became <br />meaningless beyond Bombay, but they left no legacy of urban improvement. What improvements we do see have happened in a haphazard, sporadic manner - Bandra Kurla complex or the Sea Link have little formally to do with Mantralaya support, but with central priorities as well. <br /> <br />The minor point in what I said above is that even an urban-centric party will try to bolster its position and seek rents. The major point is the one <br />you make - that Bombay should be a separate state. While Meera Sanyal did not go so far in arguing for that during her candidacy for South Bombay, she <br />was the first candidate of some credibility to champion the city's interests. (Caveat: I supported her campaign). And the logical extension of <br />her argument - as indeed yours - is for the city to be independent of Maharashtra. At one level, the Sena should love that - because it will get <br />to call the shots - but its leadership is devoid of imagination - and more important, Bombay deserves something far better than Shiv Sena in perpetuity, with occasional interruptions by the Deora clan.Ajay Shahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03835842741008200034noreply@blogger.com